These Are The Apps You Need To Get You Through The School Year

No Candy Crush here!

College is around the corner and oh, how the preparation has changed. While the most important things to stockpile used to be ramen cups and Rice Krispy treats for your dorm room, now you're swimming in options for smart tech — with your smartphone apps at the absolute top of your packing list.

Apps are great for socializing on Snapchat and sharing Insta selfies, but they've also made it way easier to enter the big world of adulting — especially because so many of them are free. Whether you need help keeping organized, getting out of bed, handling finances or prioritizing self-care, a single app can go a long way in making the hectic transition from a lazy summer to a busy fall a smoother one.

Get ready to run the campus like a girl boss by choosing the best college apps for your phone:

Stay on top of your schedule

Organizational apps are the next best thing to having a clone because they tell you what to do and when you need to do it. Make your phone your right-hand woman by choosing your favorite organizing application. Todoist allows you to indulge your love of lists and will make you a checkbox queen. And when it comes to staying on top of your studies, Evernote is awesome for keeping your notes cleanly presented and accessible on multiple devices.

Make the most of your shut-eye

Most of the time, getting a full eight hours of sleep seems like a laughable, ironic dream, but in order to function like a human, you need some serious R.E.M. Of course, you don't want to be that cliche student who oversleeps and rolls into Econ in her PJs (you're too fashionable for that), so download a tool like Alarmy that makes you turn off the alarm in creative ways, or Good Morning Alarm Clock, which tracks the quality of your sleep to help you snooze like a baby.

Money makes the college world go round

If you find yourself conveniently distracted by the newest Netflix show instead of checking the balance of your bank account, an app for your finances is a must for college life. When faced with surprise charges (what even is a $10 freshmen fee?!), your money can quickly go down the drain, leaving you turning out the empty pockets of your perfect study outfit. Do yourself a favor and download Left To Spend, which tells you exactly what you're always wondering at the end of the month: where all your money's gone. There are also more creative ways to curb your spending, such as through using Chegg, which lets you rent or buy textbooks for a fraction of the cost.

Study in beast mode

While college is certainly filled with socializing ops galore, the real reason you're there is to work your most valuable asset: your brain. Pack in old standbys like Merriam Webster or Dictionary.com's digital versions to up the vocab on your essays. Use Brainscape and its flashcard technology to give your memory a mental boost, and LitCharts for when you need to decipher the latest literature from your syllabus. If you want some extra credit, iTunes U offers free audio and video courses to boost your knowledge in a major way.

Practice technological self-care

College shouldn't be about running yourself ragged with all-nighters and overbooked schedules. Take your downtime seriously and practice a self-care routine. Apps like Aloe (coming January 2018) emphasize the importance of little things like drinking water or brushing your teeth while connecting you to an online support community. Headspace is a great, easy way to start a meditation routine that will get you ready to start each day of college refreshed, while PocketYoga helps uncrunch your body from hours spent in uncomfortable lecture hall seats. And if you're really needing a break, download Offtime and give yourself the ultimate tech detox.